Subordinate's Superior
by Matt1251
Summary: Toad is just an assistant to the best ruler to ever oversee the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach. And he thinks he will always be just an assistant that no one cares about. Toadsworth is pretty much his competition for the position. What happens when Toad reveals his secret he's been keeping? Will he take the position, and maybe something more?
1. The Vacation

Subordinate's Superior

 **I know, I know. Too many ships with** **Toad are going around, but I have seemed to find two that I will stick with; ToadxToadette (shroom shipping) and ToadxPeach. I'll try to be consistent :)**

 **I will try to make this a full story (15 or so chapters), of Toad falling in love with Peach. Keep in mind this is a different timeline than TATEA; namely, Toad and Toadette aren't together. Read, review, and as always, enjoy!**

 **Oh, and if you guys have another name for this story (I couldn't think up a good one), leave it in the reviews or PM me!**

Chapter 1: The Vacation

"Toad! Toad, wake up."

Those were the first words Toad heard one morning in his chambers, as someone knocked on his door furiously. He yawned and sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Who is it?" he asked tiredly.

"It's Mario. The princess wants to see you." the voice replied, and Toad threw off the bedsheets.

"I'm coming. Give me a second." He hurriedly ran off to the closet to change from his pajamas into his regular clothes. When he was finished, he opened the door to find that it was indeed Mario. The two began to walk down the hallway towards the stairs.

"What's with the early wake-up call?" Toad asked.

"Oh, the princess is leaving for a vacation." Mario replied. "Didn't you know?"

"No, I didn't. She never told me about this..." Toad mused.

"Well, she shouldn't. One, it's a business trip, and two, Toadsworth is replacing you as assistant."

"Wait, what?" Toad stopped in his tracks. "That old chap is replacing me? How come?"

"Oh, I don't know. Something about protection or something." Mario said nonchalantly. "It's okay, you'll find another job here."

"Well, what job? I don't want to go off doing guard duty again!" Toad exclaimed. "You know how boring that is?"

"Shhhh!" Mario shushed him. "You're gonna wake everyone up!"

"Sorry."

"And yeah, I know how boring that is, but the decision is final. Peach just called you down to say good-bye to you." Mario explained.

"Oh, okay. I don't think that's a good reason, but I can't argue with the Princess." Toad reasoned, putting an accent on 'princess'. Mario chuckled.

"Let's get going, man. Don't want to keep her waiting." They walked down the stairs to the first floor. When they found no one there, Mario looked outside.

"She must be out on the courtyard." he concluded, and the two walked out. Just as expected, the princess was there, Toadsworth by her side and her car, the Wild Wing, idling in front of them.

"Oh, ahe-hem!" Toadsworth turned around to see them. "Well, if it isn't the old hero and the loyal Toad! How have you guys been?"

"Oh, we've been well, thanks." Mario chuckled and smiled. "Yourself?"

"Oh, you know, an old timer like me doesn't have much to do these days. So I volunteered for something that would provide assistance and what do you know, I'm with the princess. Just like old times." he chuckled and leaned on his cane a little. Peach turned around and looked at them.

"Oh, hi guys!" she smiled. "Sorry I had to call you two down this early. I just wanted to wish you two farewell for the week instead of disappearing before your very eyes." she giggled.

"Yeah, m-makes sense." Toad replied. Peach walked up to Mario and hugged him, saying something to him that Toad couldn't hear. Then she walked up to Toad. He looked calm on the outside, but on the inside he was trying his very hardest not to blush. She hugged him tight and said something in his ear.

"Don't worry; I'll be back before you know it." she smiled, pulling away and walking to her car. They soon drove away, Peach waving to them as the car zoomed out of sight. Mario soon walked inside, but Toad stayed out, and the slightest blush appeared on his face. He walked inside a little after Mario did, and went to the mess hall to get some breakfast.

"Oh, Peach... what am I gonna do with you?" he asked himself, and the blush appeared once more.

To be continued...


	2. Grown-up Chat

Chapter 2: Grown-up Chat

Toad was visibly flustered all throughout the day as he did his duties around the castle now that his job as assistant was suddenly and irreversibly taken. He was now on guard duty, the job he hated. It involved sitting on the balcony of the castle with an uncomfortable metal chair, peering through a pair of binoculars and reporting any strange sightings. At least five Toads were on this task at any given time, even at night. They rotated out so everyone got a turn. The thing he hated most about it, though, was that he would sometimes get woken up in the middle of the night for an hour's worth of guard duty. Those times always seemed to be when he needed sleep from the day's worth of assisting Peach. Sitting in the chair, he sighed, looking out at the portion of courtyard he was supposed to watch.

"Ugh... This sucks." he mumbled under his breath. "I could've been at Delfino Island right now..." he groaned, looking out the binoculars not because he saw anything, but to look like he was actively participating instead of sitting around. Unexpectedly, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He wanted to look, but it could be the princess for all he knew, and then he would just get angrier about everything. He thought about it for a second, then took it out and read the message, from Mario.

 _Meet me by the bar tonight. I have some things I'd like to know._

Toad swiftly opened the phone and replied a message back.

 _Why? You know I'm only 16._ He was about to put the phone back, but then Mario's reply came.

 _I said_ by _the bar, silly! XD Meet me around the back at 9._

Toad put the phone away, nodding his head. He'd like a chat with someone about this.

"But first I have to go through this crummy job..." he exaggeratedly groaned, slumping into the chair for effect.

Two hours later, he was walking down the street to the local bar, Pipe Club. Nothing really too special about it; it was very rundown and had little charm to it on the outside, apart from the neon sign that near every party goer disliked because it was too bright. On the inside, there was much fun to be had, but instead of going there, Toad walked around just as Mario told him. Sure enough, when he got there, Mario was waiting for him.

"Hey." they both greeted at the same time, causing them to chuckle.

"So why'd you call me over here?" Toad asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to talk to you about today." Mario smiled. "I mean, it's not really that often the Princess calls you down just so she can say goodbye to you. She must think you're a good person."

"Yeah..." Toad agreed, a slight blush appearing on his face.

"So why do you hate guard duty, Toad?"

"Why do I hate- it's boring!" Toad exclaimed. "Sorry." he apologized because of how loud he was. "But seriously, think about it. Would you like to sit out there in the bitter cold, with a metal chair and binoculars, looking for threats that aren't there? Oh, and even if they are there, they're not gonna come in through the courtyard all guns blazing. They're going to go around the back or somewhere they can't be seen. It's unnecessary." he explained.

Mario chuckled at his little rant. "I see. Must be hard. But you still do it. I've seen plenty of other Toads sleeping on the job and just walking out of their chair to go get some water or something like that. But I've never seen you do that once; you're always on time, you always do your work, and quite frankly you put your heart into it. It's... reassuring to see someone like that."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Toad smiled.

"Which begs the question... Why? Why do you do this? For the kingdom, for someone else, for yourself? Why do you put yourself through all this, Toad?" Toad looked away at that question. "Hey, Toad?" Mario asked after a while, to make sure he had heard.

"Well..." Toad finally responded. "Do you want the short answer or the long answer?"

"Umm... the short one." Mario chose, confused as to why he would ask such a question.

"Okay." Toad took a deep breath before turning to face Mario again. "It's for the kingdom... and for the Princess." he blushed.

"Really?" Mario smiled. "That's good to hear." he complimented, oblivious to the fact.

"No, no, you don't get it, do you? I like the Princess, Mario. In... a romantic... sorta way." he blushed even more.

"Oh! Well... I have to say I wasn't expecting that." Mario chuckled, furrowing his brow. "That's... good to hear too." he chuckled. "Can I ask why?"

"Of course, I was going to explain anyway." Toad assured. "But I was anticipating you to be more apprehensive, to be honest with you. Aren't you in a relationship with her already?"

"Oh, that? That's a total lie." Mario explained.

"Really?" Toad questioned, shocked. "But it was all over the newspapers the first time you saved her and everything!"

"Yeah, I know." Mario chuckled, leaning back into his seat. "Newspapers just do that for the publicity. You know, to get more money you have to stretch the truth a little bit, right?"

"Yeah, right." Toad agreed.

"Just because she kisses me on the nose when I save her from the clutches of an evil lizard king doesn't mean she's in a relationship with me, Toad." Mario said 'evil lizard king' in a comedic voice, earning a laugh from Toad.

"Yeah, that's true... So who _are_ you in a relationship with, then?"

"Oh, no one at all. Although..." he leaned in close, whispering. "I think Toadette's not too bad of a candidate myself." They both laughed at that comment.

"So _why_ exactly do you like the Princess, Toad?"

"Oh, it's a long story. But I've liked her for months now. Her personality is really one I'd love to have. She's bubbly, carefree, and cheerful all the while, even when she _knows_ that someone is trying to capture her every waking moment."

"Yeah, I see where you're coming from. So have you tried to make a move yet?"

"Who, me? Of course not..." Toad blushed. "I don't have the guts."

"Of course you do!" Mario chuckled and put a hand on his shoulder. "If you have the guts to perform better than everyone else around the castle just to prove how much you love Peach, then you have the guts to ask her out." he concluded with a smile. Toad just blushed a little more, but smiled a little too. "I think we both have to head back, huh?" Mario checked his watch, reading 10:32. "Yessir, we definitely have to go. Come on." Mario took Toad's hand and together they headed back across the streets of downtown Mushroom Kingdom, back to the castle in the distance.

To be continued...


	3. Thoughts and a Call Home

Chapter 3: Thoughts and a Call Home

( **That might be the longest chapter name I've written**!)

After the two got back, Toad didn't see anyone in the castle. The doors opened with a loud creaking noise, but no one was there.

"They must have all gone to sleep." Toad concluded. "We have to be quiet." he whispered to Mario. He nodded, and the two tiptoed upstairs. When they got to the third floor, Toad waved goodbye to Mario and walked into his room. He changed into his white pajamas and slumped onto the bed.

"Ahh... Today was a day." he yawned. He pulled the covers up and over himself and closed his eyes. However, he found that he couldn't sleep as well as he used to. He wondered why that was, as he turned over onto his side to find out if he was more comfortable that way. He was, but he still couldn't doze off. He thought about the day to make himself go to sleep, but all he could think about was Peach. And that only made him blush and feel hot inside. With a groan, he turned over once again and desperately tried to get some shut-eye.

Meanwhile, the very Princess he was dreaming about was in a cabin at Delfino Island. She was sleeping on one bed while Toadsworth was on the other. She turned in her bed and yawned, seeming to not be able to sleep either.

 _I can't sleep._ she told herself. _Maybe it's because I miss my friends? Yeah, maybe that's it._ she reasoned, laying on her belly. _I should call home tomorrow._ she thought, finally closing her eyes and drifting off.

The next morning, Toad's alarm started beeping in his room, but to no avail; he slept right through it. It had been a long night, and he went to bed at close to midnight due to how hard it was for him to get to sleep. The thing that eventually woke him up at around nine in the morning was his telephone. He groaned and rolled around a bit, then sat up and picked it up on the nightstand.

"Hello?" he began groggily.

"Hi Toad!" the Princess emphatically replied, smiling on the other end.

"Oh, hi Princess!" Toad's cheerful tone was back; he didn't want to act less than his very best when the Princess was around. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing at all, Toad. Just wanted to check how my castle is doing back home." Peach explained.

"Oh, it's doing great! You have nothing to worry about, Princess. I'll take care of the castle until you get back."

"That's what I like to hear from my former assistant." she smiled. The word 'former' hit Toad pretty hard emotionally, but he kept his composure.

"So when will you be back, Princess?"

"I'll be back there in three days." the princess replied. "Oh! I have to go, Toadsworth is needing me. Catch you later, Toad!"

"Yeah, see you later Princess. Bye!" Toad hung up the phone, but continued to stare at the receiver for a couple seconds.

"Now I really don't know what to do with you, Peach..." he sighed, flopping back down onto the bed and staring at the ceiling. "I think you like me, but... I don't know if it's in the way I'm thinking... Oh, Princess..." he sighed, holding his hands close to his chest, to feel his heart seeming to go a hundred miles an hour. He looked at his pillow and crawled over to hug it. _I have to let this affection out_ some _how._ he thought to himself, blushing slightly. Someone knocked at the door a couple minutes later.

"Hey, Toad?" It was Mario. "Breakfast is ready."

"Coming, coming." Toad replied, and threw the pillow onto the bed, getting up to get dressed per usual, but with a lot of things on his mind.

To be continued...


	4. The Crown

Chapter 4: The Crown

The two walked down for breakfast, to find the table already set for them. A flatscreen television overlooked the table, big enough to cover the wall, used for video chats and recreation. Toad sat down at the end of the table, with Mario to his right. Other Toads filled the empty spots, until there were a full sixteen people at the table. Toad chefs - hats and all - came around and served each diner a piping hot stack of three golden-colored pancakes. They started to eat, with Mario taking noticeably bigger bites than the rest.

"Why do you eat faster than us?" Toad asked him, chuckling at the speedy eater.

"What's wrong with that?" he countered with his mouth full, and almost everyone laughed. Suddenly the television lit up.

"Incoming call from... Princess Peach." an electronic voice signified. Everyone turned to look. A Toad pressed a button and indeed, Peach was there on the screen. From what they could tell she appeared to be in some sort of hotel room.

"Hi, guys!" she greeted them, waving to the camera. Toad noticed for the first time that she didn't have her trademark crown atop her head.

"Hi, Princess!" Everyone responded at different times.

"I just wanted to check up on how my kingdom is doing." Peach smiled.

"Oh, it's doing great." Mario responded, smiling. "I assure you, Princess, you can count on us."

"That's good. I knew I could trust you all." the Princess smiled to the camera, which almost made Toad blush in front of everyone. "I mean, I can be only be on here for a little while, cause you know, it's morning and I have a lot of things to do."

"Makes sense." Toad agreed.

"So how has it been on Delfino Island?" a Purple Toad inquired.

"Oh, it's great! The cabin's a little stuffy but it's great." Peach smiled. "I spent three hours in customs because some Toad family couldn't go five minutes without someone needing a snack." she giggled. "But it's okay. I mean, a Princess needs to abide by her rules too."

"Yep. Even if those rules are unbelievably annoying when you're in a hurry to go someplace." Toad stated, making Peach giggle.

"Oh, Toad. Funny as ever, huh?" Everyone then heard a distant voice over the call.

"Princess! Your breakfast is ready."

"Oh! I have to go. Toadsworth needs me for breakfast. Can't start the day without that. Bye bye!" Peach smiled as she reached for the camera to end the call.

"Goodbye!" Everyone waved goodbye as the call ended. Toad smiled as the table continued eating.

"I know a person who has more power than Peach." he said to the table as a whole. "Toadsworth." he joked, and a few chuckles peppered the otherwise silent atmosphere. A few more bites later, breakfast was over, and Toad excused himself and walked upstairs again. Suddenly his phone rang from his room, and he ran over to it. He looked at the caller ID and smiled, blushing as he knew who it was. He picked up the phone. "Hi Princess."

"Hi Toad! Sorry I'm calling you twice in an hour. I just have a... favor to ask of you."

"A favor?"

"Yeah. I mean, if you don't want to, that's fine-"

"No, no, anything for the Princess." Toad smiled, and inside he knew it was true. "What is it?"

"Well, I left my crown back at the castle, Toad. I think you noticed that I don't have it on my head! So I want you to watch over it. It should be in my room on the cushion where it normally is."

"You want me to watch over your royal crown?" Toad repeated, incredulous that the princess would assign him such a task.

"Exactly! Just don't let it fall into the wrong hands. Two hours a day should be plenty, and in exchange, you won't have to do guard duty until I get back. Okay?"

"Sounds great." Toad smiled. "Are you sure about this? I mean, do you really want to trust _me_ with your crown?"

"Of course I do! I wouldn't be calling you if I didn't." Peach chuckled. "Alright, be careful now. Bye!" She hung up before Toad got a chance to respond. He smiled and walked from his room, making a left and walking all the way down the hall, his footsteps echoing off the carpeted floor. He got to Peach's room, and looked at the door. He took a deep breath to steady himself.

"I can't believe that she's asking me to do this..." he said to himself. He turned the handle and walked in. There was Peach's throne in the center of the room, gilded and the first thing anyone saw. Her crown was to the right on a pedestal, with her bed through a door into another room. All around were various pictures nailed onto frilly pink wallpaper. He proceeded to look for a chair, and found one, the same exact metal chair that the Toads on guard duty used. He picked it up and hauled it over next to the pedestal.

"Jeez, that thing's heavy." he panted. He sat in the chair and wriggled a bit to get himself comfortable. He looked at the crown, admiring the clean-cut sapphire in the middle. It was so reflective that he could see his own face in it. He stuck his tongue out and laughed at himself.

"And now we wait." he chuckled. He looked around to occupy himself, and saw the pictures. He saw one of him and Peach at the carnival, with Mario in the background on a carousel. "I remember that." he chuckled. "Mario couldn't stop with that freaking carousel." he laughed.

Two hours later, he began to get up, but sat back down.

"I guess I can sleep here..." he smiled, and leaned his head onto the back of the metal chair. Pretty soon, he had dozed off, the crown still shining beside him.

To be continued...


	5. The Thief

Chapter 5: The Thief

 **Yes, it's short. Yes, I haven't uploaded in awhile. And yes, school is being hard on me, what with me signing up for summer classes (Advanced Education) and all. Sorry :( I'll do better, I promise.**

Night descended upon the kingdom, Toad fast asleep in the metal chair. All was quiet until some scratching was heard on the wall next to the Princess' room. Grunting was heard, and then a thud as something tore into the brick wall. A small silhouette of what looked like a Koopa Troopa scaled the wall with its claws. It tried to open the window into Peach's room, but found it locked.

"Stupid-" it cursed. It smashed the window in anyways, and jumped down onto the floor. The smashing of the window caused Toad to stir.

"Mmm... wha..?" He sat up and looked around, but not in the figure's direction. It hastily ran towards the pedestal, took the crown in its hands, and leapt out the window. By the time Toad looked to the pedestal to see the crown was gone, the silhouette was a good hundred yards away.

"Hey, stop! Thief!" Toad ran towards the window and hesitated a moment before jumping out too, chasing the figure on foot. "Stop it!" The two were going the same speed, as the still unknown Koopa led him to the infamous Bowser Castle.

Meanwhile, the castle's inhabitants were beginning to wake up, as the light of dawn filtered through the stained glass windows. A short while later, Mario walked up to Toad's room to wake him up, just like always.

"Hey, Toad?" He knocked on the door. "Time to wake up, breakfast is ready." He waited for a few moments, then knocked again. "Toad?" He waited again, then chuckled. "Okay, you sleepyhead, I'm coming in." Mario opened the door to not see Toad anywhere. "Hmm... Where could he be?" He looked around. "Maybe downstairs?" He walked down the stairs to see no one at the table. "Weird..."

He looked around, confused. "Maybe... Peach's room? Everyone wants to go there sometime..." He walked back upstairs, into Peach's room, and saw the smashed window and the stolen crown.

"Oh... mushrooms." He looked around, then ran out the door, back to his room. He would tell the others at breakfast.

To be continued..


	6. Royal Arena

Chapter 6: Royal Arena

The pattering of footsteps kept dotting the night sky as Toad kept chase to the Koopa. The landscape had changed from the verdant plains of the Mushroom Kingdom to the fiery badlands of Darkland. Toad was getting tired, despite the mushroom warrior he was.

The Koopa, on the contrary, didn't seem fatigued at all. In fact, it was moving, stride after stride, at the same speed the whole time. Toad finally gave in, stopping and putting his hands on his knees, panting. It was just too hot for him to keep going. Luckily, he could see the castle in the distance, so all he had to do was walk the few miles and he'd be there. However, getting the crown would be significantly harder.

He leant against a dead tree and sat down on the ground, resting for a moment. "Well... Congrats... Toad." He mumbled to himself in between pants. "You let... him get away. Now... how are you... going to catch up... to him?" he asked himself, still tired from all that running. He looked up and saw the sky a stormy red, the way it always was in this disastrous land. He couldn't stop thinking about the crown and the princess it belonged to, and for that reason the sky was a little less menacing in his eyes. Ten minutes later, he looked at the castle with determination. "I'm getting that crown." he told himself, and ran the last few miles to the stronghold. Once he got there, he found himself lucky as the iron gates swung open before him. Instead of the normal long, carpeted hallway to another set of doors like he was used to, Toad was surprised to see an entire stone battlefield, complete with a scoreboard, spectators, and floodlights.

"What in the- what's going on?" he asked himself, because he knew he couldn't be heard over the rowdy audience.

"Ladies and gentlekoopas, I bid you welcome to one of the most daring, most spectacular, most amazing fights that you will ever witness!" a voice boomed over the arena. Toad shuffled to the side, up against a metal grate on one protrusion of the elliptical wall.

"What the..." Toad looked around. "What is this?"

"In one corner, we have the challenger, the self-proclaimed 'Mushroom Warrior', Toad!" A spotlight shone on him and he shied away, a hand over his face. Boos filled the room.

"In the other corner, we have the champion, the juggernaut, the robot of dreams, the MECHAKOOPA!" the announcer yelled in delight, and spotlights shone on the other side of the room, illuminating the very Koopa that stole Peach's crown. He had red eyes and a gray, plated shell. Toad looked at him with ferocity, looking at the crown on a stone pedestal in the middle of the arena.

"The rules are very, very simple." the announcer assured. "Since Toad only came here for a ridiculous crown..." Laughter filled the stadium, while Toad only rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, settle down. We'll let him have it if he can take it from the Mechakoopa. If not... You guys know what happens." The crowd cheered, and Toad heard them chanting.

"Dungeon, dungeon, dungeon..." the crowd cheered, and Toad winced, really not wanting to think about what that meant, even though it was painfully obvious.

"Fighters, ARE YOU READY?" The inevitable call to start the fight came out, and Toad slowly came forward from his corner, the Mechakoopa doing the same. "Audience, ARE YOU READY?" The crowd cheered in excitement. "Alright then! Let's get this show on the road." A gong sounded, probably to signal the start of the match. Toad warily circled the arena, not knowing what the Mechakoopa would bring to the table. It slowly walked up towards him, its metal feet clanking against the stone floor. Toad looked at it and saw that it had a metal shell, but a normal Koopa underside. The Koopa then picked up speed and tried a punch, but Toad ducked under, delivering an uppercut to its body. The Koopa didn't even flinch, and Toad just stood there in surprise before being socked to the floor. The crowd booed in dissent.

Toad rolled over and got up. _'If I could just outmaneuver you..._ ' he thought. The Koopa just kept walking forward, no emotion, no hesitation. Toad had a feeling it was built for situations like this. Suddenly it ran forward for a kick, and Toad tried to move to the left, but the robot anticipated the movement and connected anyways, its foot sinking into Toad's solar plexus. He got thrown off balance and before he knew it he was down again.

The Koopa deftly turned around and ran. ' _What is he- wait, he's getting the crown!'_ Toad realized. He then popped up and gave chase, and soon it was a sprint much like when they first raced here. Toad tried to speed up, but the Koopa matched pace, its head start meaning that it would always be ahead, and the arena was finite. ' _Why is this guy so fast?_ ' Toad asked himself, starting to slow. ' _Every move I do, he can anticipate it...'_ He looked at the crown longingly, seeing the Mechakoopa around twenty meters ahead of him. He narrowed his eyes.

 _'I don't care. I have to get that crown!_ ' He sped up again, feet pattering against the dry concrete. He was anticipating the Koopa to speed up, but found out he was slowly gaining on it. The crown grew closer.

' _Come on, come on...!'_ Eventually, Toad was close enough to where he could grab the Koopa, the crown coming up fast. ' _Gotcha._ ' He gave a little smirk, then dove low, taking out the Koopa's leg and letting gravity do the rest. They toppled to the floor, the Koopa not moving, having to analyze the new situation it was in. While it was distracted, Toad rose and sprinted the last few meters, prying the crown from its pedestal and holding it up for all to see. The crowd had mixed reactions, some cheering because the underdog had won, and some booing for the same reason. The gong sounded again.

"And it looks like we have a winner! The Mechakoopa has finally been beaten! As promised..." The grate that was on Toad's side of the arena opened with a rusty creaking sound, faint light coming out of it. "Toad is now free to go." the announcer concluded, and the same mixed reaction from the crowd fired up again. Toad admired the crown in his hand, then headed to the exit, looking at the Mechakoopa toppled over before heading out. The grate led to a very short tunnel. Toad continued to look at the crown before hearing the rushing of air. Instinctively he dove for the floor, a well-placed axe swinging past inches above his head. He popped up and continued to the exit, leaning against the outer wall of the castle.

"And now for our main event..." he heard the booming of the announcer, although quieter. He smiled faintly, looking at the jewels of the crown he rightfully took back, before heading out for the castle. He sighed.

' _It's gonna be a long walk back home...'_

To be continued...


	7. Commitment

Chapter 7: Commitment

Back at the castle, Mario sat at the dining table along with all the faculty and servants. It was almost dark out, the moonlight illuminating the floor near the windows.

"So if Toad hasn't come back by tonight, I'll go look for him." he proclaimed.

"Why?" a Green Toad asked, throwing his tiny hands up in the air. "What's to say you won't get captured too?"

"Well we have to do something." Mario countered. "You know how the Princess is! She's terribly melancholy when she loses her crown."

"I know, I know. But I think we can give him a couple days." The Toad assured nonchalantly.

"A couple days- she'll be back by then!"

"Oh, and another thing." the Toad continued, deferring Mario's comment. "How do we know that Toad's even trying to get the crown anyways? It could be someone else. Or no one at all." By this time everyone seated at the table turned to look at the conversation.

"I know him. He's always trying to do his best here-"

"Oh, shut it! That's a lie!" the Toad stated. "He's always complaining about, and I quote, 'how much I hate being on guard duty.'" He quoted Toad in a high-pitched voice, while some at the table laughed. "I'm serious!" he added.

"Well he still does it." Mario proclaimed, looking at the Toad. "He still does it even though he hates it. Quite frankly, that's more dedication than almost everyone here."

"Are you saying that just because we're servants, we aren't dedicated?" the Toad shot back, putting his hands on his hips.

"What I'm saying is that you guys should actually do your jobs like he does. I see, I don't know, fifty percent of you just sleeping on the job or something. It's like you guys don't care. I know you do, but you just aren't giving me the impression." Mario explained, getting up from his chair. "Maybe the reason that Peach is sad when the crown's stolen isn't because of the crown, but because of us not defending it." He inquired, gesturing to everyone in the room. "Think about that." With that, he walked upstairs to the third floor, the Toad waiting until he was out of earshot.

"We do *not* sleep on the job!" He shouted and looked around, seeing the others gaze at him knowingly. He sighed and slumped in his chair. "Alright, alright, we do... but what do we do now?" His question was met with overwhelming silence. "The Princess will be back tomorrow..." He dejectedly got up after a few seconds, absentmindedly straightening his green vest. "I guess we'll just have to tell her the bad news then. Night everyone." he addressed the group, hearing no response back. He walked up to the third floor and over to the throne room, slowly opening the door out of curiosity. Seconds later, bewilderment tainted his face.

"Wait, WHAT?"

To be continued...


	8. Sparkling Jewels

Chapter 8: Sparkling Jewels

Contrary to what the Green Toad had been told, the crown was shining before him exactly where it had been: on the pedestal. In fact, everything about the throne room was exactly the same except the shattered window in the back. Even then, the glass had been swept up from the floor. The Toad looked around in shock before sprinting the other way down the hall, racing downstairs.

"Guys, guys! I have to tell you all something!" he shouted excitedly, but arrived at the dining table to find no one there. "Hello?" he asked the room as a whole, before sighing in defeat. "Well, I guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow." he concluded, skipping upstairs with a smile on his face.

Three hours later, there was only one person left awake in the castle, and that was Toad. He stared at the ceiling of his room for a few minutes before flipping over onto his tummy and sighing.

"Why is it so hard for me to get to sleep...?" he asked himself. "I fought a darn Mechakoopa; surely my body needs rest." he groaned, looking around his room for the third time in the past five minutes. He then sat up on the edge of his bed, forced himself to stand, and walked out of his room towards the throne room. He threw open the double doors to find the crown greeting him. He smiled faintly and looked at it for a few seconds, taking in the ornate embroidery and jewels.

"They sure made this one a sight." he marveled. "I remember the last one had one gem on it... this one has one, two, three, four, five." he counted. "And they're different colors and everything. Wow..." He stared at the crown some more, seeing his reflection in the jewels like he did before. "I wonder how she's doing... does she miss this crown on her head?" he wondered to himself. "I wonder if she misses it more than she misses us..." he proposed, putting a hand on his chin. "She's probably in the cabin now, ready to fly back tomorrow." he told himself, sitting in the metal chair he had slept in the night before. "She had fun over there. Well, maybe a little too much fun." He joked. "But I know she misses home... she probably can't wait." he smiled. "I know I can't."

He shifted around in the chair, the metal furniture moving with him. "Oh, who am I kidding?" he sighed, looking at the crown once more. "You love the girl, Toad, you know you do." he told himself. "Everything about her is perfect... her smile, her demeanor, the way she handles everything as if all situations have the same importance. Not to mention her choice of assistant. For mushroom's sake, I can't keep up with that!" he raised his voice, throwing his hands in the air. He then sighed again, looking around to see if anyone heard. A few seconds of silence confirmed that no one had.

"Seriously, Toad..." He put his head on the back of the chair. "You might as well ask her... alone, tomorrow. What have you got to lose?" _Everything._ he thought. His eyes slowly closed, and despite being in an uncomfortable position, he slept soundly for the rest of the night.

To be continued...


End file.
